Street Trees in Barron Park

Background

Street trees are the trees that grow on the right-of-way between our property lines and the streets.
Technically, the city has the right to landscape this land as it wishes---city policy is to encourage
the planting of street trees but not to force residents to host unwanted trees.

The Beautification Committee works with the non-profit organization
Canopy: Trees for Palo Alto
to encourage the planting of street trees in Barron Park.
Canopy recruits local volunteers to plant and maintain street trees.
The city supplies the trees and offers some help with soil preparation.

The Program

Individuals can request a street tree from the city at any time, and the city occasionally
plants a lot or a block at a time,
but in general, street trees in Barron Park have been dying faster than they're being replaced.

We are focusing this year on the eastern half the neighborhood
(La Para to Arastradero, more or less).
We will support requests for trees throughout the neighborhood;
we will solicit tree hosts only in the east.

We plant street trees in the fall and winter, when their chances for survival are greatest.

Responsibilities of the Resident

If you request a tree through the Canopy program, you (or a committed neighbor)
must agree to take care of the tree until it is established, which means

Watering the tree in dry weather, especially through its first three summers.

Keeping the area around the sapling clear of weeds.

In many locations, the City arborists will specify which species is appropriate, although Barron Park residents sometimes have more latitude on
species selection than
people in other parts of town.
Members of the BPA Natural Habitat Committee encourage the planting of valley oaks, a local native that's disappearing because seedlings do not compete well against acacias and other imported species. The valley oak is a good choice, though, only in locations that will not receive summer water.
More information on the conditions appropriate for various native plants appears in
Bol Park Revegetation Project's
Native Plant Descriptions

Historical Perspective

In several areas of Barron Park,
street trees that were planted in the 1920s and 1930s
have reached or surpassed their expected life spans.

Both mature trees and recent planting have been damaged during the surge of street maintenance and new construction in recent years.
Trees planted before a construction project are less likely to survive
because of accidents during construction
and compaction of the soil by heavy equipment.

Canopy: Trees for Palo Alto,
commonly referred to as simply Canopy,
is a non-profit, grassroots organization that evolved
from the city's Tree Task Force.
Its mission is to promote the planting of street trees in Palo Alto.
Contact: (650) 964-6110
Additional information: